Compatible lenses

Hi all

I have heard, as Im sure many of you have, the wondrous rumor that Canon is to reveal the new 5D Mark III this month. However, as March approaches April and still no revealing, I think Iím going to have to make my move. I am not looking to purchase the supposed new Mark III but the II instead as I am anticipating a price drop. But, until I make my big purchase Iím going to upgrade my lens.

I was told by an employee at B&H Photography in NYC that not all lenses are compatible with every model (which I knew but forgot to make certain before purchasing) and it occurred to me: how/where does one get that information? Is it in the description of the camera?

I think I have narrowed down my selection to these two lenses (because if I remember correctly theyíre both compatible with my Rebel and my eventual Mark II):

1. Canon 24-70mm f/2.8
2. Canon 16-35mm

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions on both my question and choice lenses. I am a wide-angle enthusiast, which is why I chose these two in particular. But I expect to use this new lens as my go-to/everything lens.

Re: Compatible lenses

Hi Lindsay,
Full frame will only take EF lenses.The crop cameras can use both EF and EF-S lenses.
The 24-70 and the 16-35 are wonderful lenses.I owned the 24-70 and I now have a 16-35.I shoot a 5DII. For a go-to lens the 24-70 would be my choice of the 2.
Have you considered the 24-105L IS? It gives you a nice range on the 5DII.

Re: Compatible lenses

Hi Lindsay,

"What Jim said".

With regards to a 5D3 announcement ... keep in mind that we had exactly the same rumours for the 5D2, and they persisted for about 3 years! As do the rumours regarding the 24-70/2.8L IS - and the 1Ds4.

The one thing I do know is that Canon are VERY good at keeping these kinds of things quiet ... so if people keep on guessing, eventually it'll come true, but none-the-less, a guess is all it is. Having said that, often we can predict to a degree what will be in a newer model based on new technologies introduced in other models (eg liveview, video, sensor self-cleaning, screen sizes etc), but that's about as good as it gets.

Of course that also begs the other question of "why would they even be considering replacing the 5D2"? I'd say that the current model is doing wonders for them, and doesn't have any significant competition from within it's market segment.

Re: Compatible lenses

Originally Posted by Colin Southern

Of course that also begs the other question of "why would they even be considering replacing the 5D2"? I'd say that the current model is doing wonders for them, and doesn't have any significant competition from within it's market segment.

Because they wouldn't want to be behind when the Nikon replacement for the D700 comes out?

Lindsay, one more note: all the Canon L lenses are EF/full-frame. The "crop-body" designation on lenses you want to avoid are:

Canon: EF-S

Tamron: Di II

Sigma: DC

Tokina: DX

The only real exception I'd make to this is if you feel you need an ultrawide lens on your crop body until you can get a 5D. Because of crop body factors, you're simply not going to find a lens that can do that on both a crop and a 5D, and all the crop-body ultrawide lenses are fairly new in design and still retain a lot of value for resale. You are unlikely to find any lens that does the same thing on a full-frame for an equivalent price. Also, if you go with a third-party maker for an ultrawide, it will still mount on a 5D (unlike Canon's EF-S lens), and you only have to worry about vignetting.

Re: Compatible lenses

Originally Posted by inkista

Because they wouldn't want to be behind when the Nikon replacement for the D700 comes out?

Traditionally they don't usually "play that game".

People were saying exactly the same things about the release of the 5D2 to counter the market pressure on the original 5D, but they took years longer than expected (because the 5D really didn't have any competition -- it took Nikon ages just to catch up to it); and I gues to a very real degree, we're seeing the same thing with the 1Ds4 now (we here all the rumours of when it's going to be released -- and those dates come ... and go).

I think a lot of people forget that R&D + tooling up is big bucks for these kinds of things ... and if they blink too soon then they end up behind the technology curve, giving the competition the chance to trump.

Re: Compatible lenses

People were saying exactly the same things about the release of the 5D2 to counter the market pressure on the original 5D, but they took years longer than expected ...

Actually, I expected it to take three years at minimum between releases, because the 5D release logically to me shadowed the 1Ds release (i.e., the 5D would inherit the sensor technology from the 1Ds). I never understood why people thought the 5D was going to follow a dRebel or XXD release schedule of less than two years. To me, the 5DMkIII's expected release time is the 1Ds Mark IV's release + 1 year.

Re: Compatible lenses

Originally Posted by inkista

To me, the 5DMkIII's expected release time is the 1Ds Mark IV's release + 1 year.

It would seem logical, but the only ones who know won't be saying

I suspect that the 5D2 killed a lot of 1Ds3 sales (even though it shouldn't have, as they're different tools for different jobs), so perhaps this time they might keep them further apart, especially if the 5D2 isn't under any kind of pressure (which I don't believe it to be).

Re: Compatible lenses

Originally Posted by inkista

The only real exception I'd make to this is if you feel you need an ultrawide lens on your crop body until you can get a 5D. Because of crop body factors, you're simply not going to find a lens that can do that on both a crop and a 5D, and all the crop-body ultrawide lenses are fairly new in design and still retain a lot of value for resale. You are unlikely to find any lens that does the same thing on a full-frame for an equivalent price. Also, if you go with a third-party maker for an ultrawide, it will still mount on a 5D (unlike Canon's EF-S lens), and you only have to worry about vignetting.

Look into the Tokina wide angle ATX lenses. Even the grand-daddy of them all, the 12-24mm f/4 ATX, can be used on a full-frame camera in a limited fashion. You CAN use this lens at from 18-24mm with no serious vignetting.

Although designed for a 1.6x camera, the Canon version is not an EF-S mount lens and therefore can fit a full frame or 1.3x Canon DSLR as well as being usable at 12-24mm on a 1.6x cropper.